Theodore "Teo" Melis, Ph.D.

Glen Canyon Dam jet tubes releasing water into the Colorado River for a high flow experiment.

April 11, 2024

GCMRC Science Informs Hydropower and Invasive Species Management

USGS Southwest Biological Science Center's Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center provided scientific expertise to evaluate potential effects of reservoir management on various resources in Lake Powell and Grand Canyon. This information, published in a cooperator report, was requested and used by the Bureau of Reclamation for decision-making on water flows from Glen Canyon Dam.

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Southwest Biological Science Center

April 11, 2024

GCMRC Science Informs Hydropower and Invasive Species Management

USGS Southwest Biological Science Center's Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center provided scientific expertise to evaluate potential effects of reservoir management on various resources in Lake Powell and Grand Canyon. This information, published in a cooperator report, was requested and used by the Bureau of Reclamation for decision-making on water flows from Glen Canyon Dam.

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Group of land managers working together to build a restoration experiment in the Sonoran Desert.

April 22, 2021

Extended Drought in Drylands

Drylands are moisture-limited environments that cover ~40% of the global land surface. Ecosystems in drylands include the grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, riparian areas, and rivers that comprise most of the western United States and most of the land managed by the DOI, other federal agencies, and tribal Nations.

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Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

April 22, 2021

Extended Drought in Drylands

Drylands are moisture-limited environments that cover ~40% of the global land surface. Ecosystems in drylands include the grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, riparian areas, and rivers that comprise most of the western United States and most of the land managed by the DOI, other federal agencies, and tribal Nations.

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Looking at Glen Canyon Dam from the Colorado River

February 28, 2017

Amazon Dams Network: Advancing Integrative Research and Adaptive Management of Social-Ecological Systems Transformed by Hydroelectric Dams

The overall goal of this project is to advance inter- and trans-disciplinary research coordination, focusing on the transformation of social-ecological systems by hydroelectric dam construction in the Amazon and the United States. The experience gained by Southwest Biological Science Center researchers working on the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon...

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Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Southwest Biological Science Center

February 28, 2017

Amazon Dams Network: Advancing Integrative Research and Adaptive Management of Social-Ecological Systems Transformed by Hydroelectric Dams

The overall goal of this project is to advance inter- and trans-disciplinary research coordination, focusing on the transformation of social-ecological systems by hydroelectric dam construction in the Amazon and the United States. The experience gained by Southwest Biological Science Center researchers working on the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon...

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Filter Total Items: 48

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August 1, 2019

Mapping research on hydropower and sustainability in the Brazilian Amazon: Advances, gaps in knowledge and future directions Mapping research on hydropower and sustainability in the Brazilian Amazon: Advances, gaps in knowledge and future directions

In the last twenty years, multiple large and small hydroelectric dams have begun to transform the Amazonian region, spawning a growing volume of academic research across diverse disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields. In this article, we offer a critical review of recent research related to hydropower and sustainability with a focus on the Brazilian Amazon. We revisit the...

Authors

Simone Athayde, Mason Matthews, Stephanie Bohlman, Walterlina Brasil, Carolina Doria, Jynessa Dutka-Gianelli, Philip Fearnside, Bette Loiselle, Elineide Marques, Theodore Melis, Brent Millikan, Evandro Moretto, Anthony Oliver-Smith, Amintas Rossete, Raffaele Vacca, David Kaplan

By

Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

December 1, 2016

Using large-scale flow experiments to rehabilitate Colorado River ecosystem function in Grand Canyon: Basis for an adaptive climate-resilient strategy Using large-scale flow experiments to rehabilitate Colorado River ecosystem function in Grand Canyon: Basis for an adaptive climate-resilient strategy

Adaptive management of Glen Canyon Dam is improving downstream resources of the Colorado River in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park. The Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (AMP), a federal advisory committee of 25 members with diverse special interests tasked to advise the U.S. Department of the Interior), was established in 1997 in response to...

Authors

Theodore S. Melis, William Pine, Josh Korman, Michael D. Yard, Shaleen Jain, Roger Pulwarty

By

Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

December 1, 2016

Bed texture mapping in large rivers using recreational-grade sidescan sonar Bed texture mapping in large rivers using recreational-grade sidescan sonar

The size-distribution and spatial organization of bed sediment, or bed ‘texture’, is a fundamental attribute of natural channels and is one important component of the physical habitat of aquatic ecosystems. ‘Recreational-grade’ sidescan sonar systems now offer the possibility of imaging, and subsequently quantifying bed texture at high resolution with minimal cost, or logistical effort...

Authors

Daniel Hamill, Joseph Wheaton, Daniel Buscombe, Paul Grams, Theodore S. Melis

By

Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

December 8, 2015

Surprise and opportunity for learning in Grand Canyon: the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program Surprise and opportunity for learning in Grand Canyon: the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program

With a focus on resources of the Colorado River ecosystem below Glen Canyon Dam, the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program has included a variety of experimental policy tests, ranging from manipulation of water releases from the dam to removal of non-native fish within Grand Canyon National Park. None of these field-scale experiments has yet produced unambiguous results in terms of...

Authors

Theodore S. Melis, Carl Walters, Josh Korman

By

Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

June 3, 2015

Building sandbars in the Grand Canyon Building sandbars in the Grand Canyon

In 1963, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation finished building Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River in northern Arizona, 25 kilometers upstream from Grand Canyon National Park. The dam impounded 300 kilometers of the Colorado River, creating Lake Powell, the nation’s second largest reservoir. By 1974, scientists found that the downstream river’s alluvial sandbars...

Authors

Paul Grams, John Schmidt, Scott Wright, David Topping, Theodore S. Melis, David Rubin

By

Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

April 23, 2015

Large river bed sediment characterization with low-cost sidecan sonar: Case studies from two setting in the Colorado (Arizona) and Penobscot (Maine) Rivers Large river bed sediment characterization with low-cost sidecan sonar: Case studies from two setting in the Colorado (Arizona) and Penobscot (Maine) Rivers

Mapping subaqueous riverbed sediment grain size across channels and in nearshore areas typically used by fish and benthic invertebrates is difficult where and when the water flow is too swift or deep to wade yet impractical to access with large boats and instruments. Fluvial characteristics can further constrain sampling options, particularly where flow depth, water column turbidity or...

Authors

Daniel Buscombe, Paul Grams, Theodore S. Melis, Sean Smith

By

Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

January 1, 2015

Building sandbars in Grand Canyon Building sandbars in Grand Canyon

Now, by implementing a new strategy that calls for repeated releases of large volumes of water from the dam, the U.S. Department of the Interior seeks to increase the size and number of these sandbars. Three years into the “High Flow Experiment” protocol, the releases appear to be achieving the desired effect. Many sandbars have increased in size following each controlled flood and the...

Authors

Paul Grams, John Schmidt, Scott Wright, David J. Topping, Theodore S. Melis, David Rubin

By

Ecosystems Mission Area, California Water Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center

July 18, 2014

Design of a sediment-monitoring gaging network on ephemeral tributaries of the Colorado River in Glen, Marble, and Grand Canyons, Arizona Design of a sediment-monitoring gaging network on ephemeral tributaries of the Colorado River in Glen, Marble, and Grand Canyons, Arizona

Management of sediment in rivers downstream from dams requires knowledge of both the sediment supply and downstream sediment transport. In some dam-regulated rivers, the amount of sediment supplied by easily measured major tributaries may overwhelm the amount of sediment supplied by the more difficult to measure lesser tributaries. In this first class of rivers, managers need only know...

Authors

Ronald Griffiths, David Topping, Robert S. Anderson, Gregory Hancock, Theodore S. Melis

By

Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

January 1, 2013

Are large-scale flow experiments informing the science and management of freshwater ecosystems? Are large-scale flow experiments informing the science and management of freshwater ecosystems?

Greater scientific knowledge, changing societal values, and legislative mandates have emphasized the importance of implementing large-scale flow experiments (FEs) downstream of dams. We provide the first global assessment of FEs to evaluate their success in advancing science and informing management decisions. Systematic review of 113 FEs across 20 countries revealed that clear...

Authors

Julian D. Olden, Christopher Konrad, Theodore S. Melis, Mark Kennard, Mary Freeman, Meryl Mims, Erin N. Bray, Keith B. Gido, Nina Hemphill, David Lytle, Laura McMullen, Mark Pyron, Christopher Robinson, John Schmidt, John Williams

By

Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Washington Water Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

June 26, 2012

Design and maintenance of a network for collecting high-resolution suspended-sediment data at remote locations on rivers, with examples from the Colorado River Design and maintenance of a network for collecting high-resolution suspended-sediment data at remote locations on rivers, with examples from the Colorado River

Management of sand and finer sediment in fluvial settings has become increasingly important for reasons ranging from endangered-species habitat to transport of sediment-associated contaminants. In all rivers, some fraction of the suspended load is transported as washload, and some as suspended bed material. Typically, the washload is composed of silt-and-clay-size sediment, and the...

Authors

Ronald Griffiths, David Topping, Timothy Andrews, Glenn E. Bennett, Thomas A. Sabol, Theodore S. Melis

By

Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

January 1, 2012

The Glen Canyon Dam adaptive management program: Progress and immediate challenges The Glen Canyon Dam adaptive management program: Progress and immediate challenges

Adaptive management emerged as an important resource management strategy for major river systems in the United States (US) in the early 1990s. The Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (‘the Program’) was formally established in 1997 to fulfill a statutory requirement in the 1992 Grand Canyon Protection Act (GCPA). The GCPA aimed to improve natural resource conditions in the...

Authors

John Hamill, Theodore S. Melis

By

Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

August 19, 2011

Field evaluation of the error arising from inadequate time averaging in the standard use of depth-integrating suspended-sediment samplers Field evaluation of the error arising from inadequate time averaging in the standard use of depth-integrating suspended-sediment samplers

Several common methods for measuring suspended-sediment concentration in rivers in the United States use depth-integrating samplers to collect a velocity-weighted suspended-sediment sample in a subsample of a river cross section. Because depth-integrating samplers are always moving through the water column as they collect a sample, and can collect only a limited volume of water and...

Authors

David Topping, David Rubin, Scott Wright, Theodore S. Melis

By

Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

Theodore "Teo" Melis, Ph.D. (Former Employee)

USGS Scientists Discuss Climate, Drought and Resource Management at Colorado Plateau Conference

USGS Scientists Discuss Climate, Drought and Resource Management at Colorado Plateau Conference

Theodore "Teo" Melis, Ph.D. (Former Employee)

Science and Products

GCMRC Science Informs Hydropower and Invasive Species Management

Extended Drought in Drylands

Amazon Dams Network: Advancing Integrative Research and Adaptive Management of Social-Ecological Systems Transformed by Hydroelectric Dams

USGS Scientists Discuss Climate, Drought and Resource Management at Colorado Plateau Conference

Science and Products

GCMRC Science Informs Hydropower and Invasive Species Management

Extended Drought in Drylands

Amazon Dams Network: Advancing Integrative Research and Adaptive Management of Social-Ecological Systems Transformed by Hydroelectric Dams

USGS Scientists Discuss Climate, Drought and Resource Management at Colorado Plateau Conference